Last week one of Ronan's boys chose what seemed the worst possible moment to make a mistake in his performance as Jai Waetford tried to eliminate himself from the semi-final with a guitar miscue.

This week Ronan's other boy, Taylor Henderson, decided to prove that wasn't the case, by making a mistake at the worst possible moment.

Forgot the words: Taylor Henderson. Photo: Supplied

Tasked with singing three songs as part of his grand final performance, Taylor seemed affected by nerves in his first performance before delivering a spectacular effort with his “winner's single”. Unfortunately he then made a spectacular mistake in his final song, completely forgetting the lyrics to Damien Rice's tune Blower's Daughter. It was a terrible moment.

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Only it didn't matter, because Dami Im then delivered a performance to ensure that it wouldn't have mattered if Taylor had remembered every word, nailed every note and promised everyone in Australia $50 if he won.

Dami had already given great renditions of Hero by Mariah Carey and her winning single Alive, but her performance of And I Am Telling You from the Dreamgirls soundtrack was simply jaw-dropping and brought down the house.

It turns out the federal election was only the second most predictable vote in Australia this year. Dami Im has The X Factor won, it's just a matter of waiting for tomorrow night's announcement.

X Factor Grand Final performances recap

An extended video montage reminds us of all the contestants we've forgotten, and of how young the grand finalists looked a few short weeks ago, before they combine for an ensemble number.

The video clip intro to the song has each of the singers walking towards the camera along what appears to be a mineshaft in what is presumably a visual metaphor for the year they can expect under the recording contract they will get following the show.

Once the three come on stage – with Dami wearing a golden nod to the silver spaceship that graced her hair a few weeks ago – we see that the designers clearly enjoyed The Great Gatsby, as the stage looks like a bit of an art deco ballroom while the three are surrounded by 50 shades of masquerade dancers, all wearing masks, formal wear and suspenders (the boys and the girls).

The three singers do a good job with their parts, but it is very heavily produced and not a reasonable basis for judgment.

Rating: Meanlingless/10

Luke Jacobz comes on stage, once more with his hopefully ironic rock'n'roll hand gestures, to tell us that this is the biggest thing that has ever happened on television, or in music, or in the history of everything.

And our judges enter, walking down the Gatsby staircase to their entirely spontaneous standing ovation.

Luke reminds us that this is the grand final. He also notes that One Direction will be performing tonight, to which Redfoo gives a half-enthusiastic response.

Ronan admits he's had a busy six weeks mentoring two finalists and recording his own, while Dannii mockingly resents Luke reminding her that she was down to one contestant very quickly, though no one feels sorry for her given who that one contestant is.

Nat says she was upset with THIRD D3GREE's exit (though my caps lock is not) but the band have enjoyed being mobbed in the street this week. This is either a bit of hyperbole, or possibly the trio have been standing between the bushfires and safety.

Foo has been working on his woo. “Woo!” he screams. Woo indeed. Go woo good thing.

And finally we get to that sideline singing part. Luke introduces Taylor, whose cover of Girls Just Wanna Have Fun is No. 2 on the ARIA chart, and who has just introduced Ronan to Geelong.

Taylor Henderson - Some Nights, Fun

The video recounts the trip back to Geelong, which Ronan compares unfavourably to the “big smoke” they've spent time in all show, then whinges a fraction about the weather before admitting it reminds him of Ireland.

Then Ronan shears a sheep, which is now the envy of girls Australia-wide while Taylor informs him that there are “seven more sheeps” ready for him and that, my friends, is gold.

Ronan then surprises Taylor with a helicopter ride to Geelong pier for a live outdoor, wind-swept gig, which Taylor says was right up there with his favourite gigs.

And now, the performance.

The intro is accapella BUT it features pre-recorded back-up singers and Tayor and the singers are swiftly out of synch. Not a great start.

The band and Taylor are all stood on big artificial plinths and once the band kicks in the timing gets back together, but the song doesn't really pick up. Sure it gets bigger in volume, but little else. Taylor also drops a word here and there from the lyrics.

Possibly because he can't move, possibly it's the nerves of opening the grand final, possibly this song just didn't lend itself to Taylor's style once fully produced, but this is a bit flat, never really getting out of third.

Sure it's an improvement on his audition in production values, but that was actually a more engaging performance for being more stripped back.

Rating: 6/10 Lacklustre performance should have been better than “not bad”.

Nat notes that no other show on television allows us to watch artists grow from their audition (errr ... really?) and that Taylor knocked out THIRD D3GREE last week. Not much about the song. Dannii says Taylor has grown a lot since his audition, notes the “technical” problem with the beginning but says it was otherwise good. Foo is jealous of Ronan because he wants to “shave the sheep”. Dannii corrects him that it is shearing not shaving which gets a lot of laughs. Ronan is one of the rare judges to comment on the song, and says it was indeed better than the audition, which is damning with faint praise really. He also says how happy he is to have butted heads with Taylor all show.

Jai Waetford – Your Eyes

This is Jai's “winner's single” and Ronan promises that if Jai wins, this song will be No. 1 next week, before we head off on a journey to find Jai in the studio and later having his photo taken. Jai tells us he “really, really, really” wants to get to release this song, and that's more than enough to sway me.

Back at the live show, we find Jai at the back of an empty stage with just a hand held microphone. He doesn't have his guitar for this song this time. It's been fully produced with backing vocals and harmonies and a lighter backing track.

Jai takes full advantage of the stage and the extensions into the crowd and has a lot of fun getting the crowd clapping along and making teenage girls feel uncomfortable because they can't work out if they're allowed to want him or meant to just think he'd make a cute pet.

He sings the song well and most importantly is clearly having fun the entire time he is out there. This song is, unsurprisingly, perfectly suited to his voice.

Rating: 8/10 – This is as good as Jai gets

Nat says she can hear this on the radio already and sings the word-free riffs to prove it. Dannii recalls the audition and commends him on the way he brought the room to a standstill. She loves the name too. Foo says the song is a “number oner” and he should go home, clear space on the wall for the platinum frame and buy some non-alcoholic champagne. Ronan says Jai has been a dream to work with and commends him for a brand new song that could “walk on to radio”.

Luke asks Jai if he thought when he auditioned that a song he had written could be his winner's single. “No,” he admits, because he is neither psychic nor boggling egotistical so he held no such grandiose expectations.

Dami Im – Hero, Mariah Carey

Luke recalls that Dami was eliminated at boot camp before being recalled. Dannii tells us all that Dami is an absolute dag. And now that the ego-boosting is done with, Dami gets to prove it's all true when we see her celebrating that she gets to fly business class back to Brisbane. Dannii then surprises her with a limo ride back to her school and Dannii is impressed at the sheer quantity of children lining the street for her arrival.

Overall the impression is how immaculately spontaneous the whole event is – the children lining the block, the family in traditional garb, the husband and parents in Dami Army T-shirts. Though Dami's husband as ever steals the show by being the cutest thing ever as he expresses his pride for her.

Then Dami performs at a Westfield, which Dannii describes as “taking over” and Dami says it was perfect.

Some time later, Dami is on stage in a tunnel made of glowing blue giant hoola hoops of light.

Carey's classic ballad is perfectly suited to Dami's voice and the added confidence and power she has brought to her singing since the auditions makes for a genuinely immaculate performance.

Most impressive is the change in presence Dami has on stage. She is completely comfortable performing this and it is not surprising that the person we see possesses the voice we can hear.

Rating: 9/10 – Magical

All four judges stand and the No. 1 Dami Army member, Dami's husband, has a smile from ear to ear. Foo recalls the boot camp moment when she made a mistake and he was the only one who gave her a standing ovation “because I knew” and says he thinks she's awesome. Ronan admits it's exciting to watch her perform every week. “The truth is for me, yeah I'm mentoring the boys, but it's OK if you win because you are that good.” Nat comments on the transformation, which she attributes to her work with Dannii. She also notes “you are humble girlfriend” and says that will get her a long way in the industry. As for Dannii “you're daggy, which I love. I'm daggy too!” She also thinks she now looks and sounds like a star on the world stage.

Taylor Henderson – Borrow My Heart

We don't get told who has written Taylor's winner's single, but Taylor is happy in studio to find that this is “my kind of music”. Phew! He's also impressed with the photo of himself that will be the cover of his album if he gets one.

Like Jai, the stage is empty for Taylor's winner's single. He wanders around with a kaleidoscope projected behind him.

The song is folky but upbeat. Having started a little plain it introduces some really lovely harmonies and it gets the crowd clapping along all on its own.

Taylor is clearly enjoying this a whole lot more than his first performance tonight. He's oozing confidence, jumping about and genuinely smiling. He's still not the natural on stage that Jai is, but he feels like more of a professional performer.

There's a slightly pitch moment on one held note towards the end but this is probably the most releasable single of the two we have heard so far.

Rating: 8/10 – A world away from his first, this really worked

Nat is excited because Taylor hit her with his voice, she's overwrought because she wants everyone to win. She's going to be near hysterical by the evening's end at this rate. “When Taylor is in his happy place he saaaangs” Dannii tells us. “This is a tough competition tonight.” Foo loved the country feel, loved the dance “the first country man to do the moonwalk”. Ronan says Taylor is the most rounded artist in the final. “Whatever happens you are a star man.”

Jai Waetford – The Only Exception, Paramoor

Ronan and Jai start their last workshop together by saying goodbye. Ronan then explains what the “last shot” song means, and this will shock you, it's named that because it's the last shot at convincing the audience to vote for him. Except for the other song he will sing tonight.

Jai starts the song standing on a darkened stage surrounded by a geometry teachers dream, lots and lots of prisms – cubes, pyramids ... they're all there.

Ronan and Jai noted that this is a song full of emotion and while he sings it with gusto and variation, unfortunately it really just highlights that he's 14. It just doesn't gel to have someone this young trying to be so maudlin.

The performance though is excellent and pitch perfect.

Rating: 7/10 – Good but problematic for reasons beyond Jai's control

Nat loved it. Dannii loved it because she felt Jai was just “in it”. Foo feels Jai told a story “with emotion and power and that's what makes a great performance”. Ronan knew that Jai loved singing that song and wants Australia to vote. We must be running short of time though as none of the judges actually says very much. Perhaps the extended advertisement for My Kitchen Rules that was played as part of the program a short time ago took up too much “show” time.

Dami Im – Alive

Dami wants to record in studio every day of her life as she feels she belongs there, meanwhile the photo shoot looks zany and crazy, which seems kind of apt. One concern though is it sounds like the song is an upbeat pop number ... Dami is better with the ballads.

The song begins with a simple piano riff but soon a very electronic backbeat kicks in.

In fact this is VERY produced. It's much more Katy Perry than Mariah Carey, but Dami is pulling it off, if not quite shining as she did in the previous number. The chorus is big and loud though and with Dami singing with a number of pre-recorded Damis backing her up it sounds great. The verse is a bit lacking in energy by comparison.

To be fair this improves the longer it goes on, with Dami blasting out some big notes in the final verse and chorus and it ends with a lot of energy.

Rating: 8/10 – A single that would definitely get airplay

Foo is impressed. “Wow, that's big. That's international. That's my new song right after I wake up in the morning.” Ronan concurs saying it's incredible. He can see Dami's name on a bill with Katy Perry and Lady Gaga. Nat says she wants to go out dancing to this song until 1am despite being a new mum. Dannii loves the lyrics that talk about coming out of the shadows as she feels that is what Dami has done.

One Direction – The Best Song Ever

If you want to see confidence, these guys have it. They're clearly having problems with their in-ear feedback. They couldn't care less. They're playing with the crowd, they're definitely singing live, they're aware of how big they are and utterly unashamed of it.

Rating: Fun/10 – Don't hate me, but that was kinda fun!

Jai Waetford – Don't Let Me Go

Ronan says Jai is who he is because of the people who brought him up, and suggests heading back to perform in his home town was just like One Direction doing a gig. Jai takes Ronan to his school for a music class, then to a bakery that is selling a “Jai pie” which is a meat pie with an X on the crust. Finally he takes him into his bedroom so he can see him play with his lizard.

His lizard is named Flakey and lives in a fish tank on his desk ... why what did you think I meant?

To recreate his audition song, Jai sits backwards on a cafe chair on the stage with two towers of chairs behind and books all around him.

Like his winner's single, this starts simply but then moves into a more overly produced style.

As you'd expect he's very comfortable singing this now and you can see the pride on Ronan's face.

I suppose this is what Jai is about, a song about relationships that seems odd coming from the mouth of a babe.

Rating: 8/10 – It's pretty impressive, then you remember he wrote it and it's very impressive.

Standing ovation from all four judges with Ronan once more standing on the desk.

Nat recalls how she didn't attend the audition for baby-related reasons but all four judges called her after to tell her about it. Dannii says Jai is a genius and notes that not only could he find himself a professional singer but also writing for other singers ... when he grows up. Foo says this could be the second hit single on an album. “You're a young genius. The fact that you could get all those chairs to balance like that. You're well read, obviously, all those books.” He even gives the answer (67) to Jai's shirt which has numbers all over it. Ronan simply says Jai has changed the X Factor as the first contestant to play his own song in auditions.

Taylor Henderson – Blower's Daughter, Damien Rice

Ronan feels this is a perfect match for Taylor's voice and could potentially be the greatest moment on X Factor 2013.

And of course, Taylor finally gets his guitar back! He stands on stage flanked by white curtains draped on the ground, playing his guitar, with two girls (a cellist and a violinist) sat behind him.

It's stunning, it's lovely ... and then he forgets the lyrics. There's a drawn out, deeply uncomfortable pause as the backing track and his guitar continue without him. We cut to Dannii who is hanging her head. Ronan is doing the same.

Taylor looks like he's almost ready to stop, but he presses on and if anything the mistake adds more emotion and it's raw and wonderful.

Rating: 6/10 – Tragic blip in an otherwise flawless performance.

Nat feels for Taylor but says “the imperfections in that song made it perfect for me” and also made her miss her family. Notably she didn't stand though, so it wasn't actually perfect. Dannii says most of that was perfect and you know it, except the slip. She feels this just shows how hard this show is.

“At the end of the day I'm human and sometimes humans make mistakes,” says Taylor.

Foo notes that as Taylor was singing he noted that “dang the ladies love this song”. He was impressed with Taylor's emotions, so the “slip ups, flip ups, kip ups ... if you're a gymnast” didn't worry him. Ronan knows Taylor is going to beat himself up.

Dami Im – And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going, Jennifer Hudson

Dannii tells us to keep the tissues handy because if Dami recreates her rehearsal performance this will be magical.

This was the song that took an Idol contestant and won her an Oscar, and Dami is matching Hudson gutsy note for gutsy note.

Dami is oozing soul and class and gusto and emotion here and yet this is an immaculately polished performance.

This is simply sublime, the only possibly complaint is the truncated version of the song she's been given as it would be fantastic to hear her deliver the full version of this.

Dami literally left us wanting more.

Rating: 10/10 – Perfect final note

All four judges stand, then all four judges stand on the desk.

“That's the best thing I've ever seen in my life” says Foo, who has nothing further to add. Ronan agrees saying “it's ridiculous, it's crazy how good you are Dami and how good this team is, Dami and Dannii”. He articulates the fact that she has become the benchmark for the show, and can't believe that she pulls this out of the bag as the final song of a great year. Nat echoes that, suggesting this is “the best grand final ever” and says Dami is a star, after taking a moment to talk about her shoes. Finally Dannii predicts that she's going to cry, her hands are shaking as she tries to sum up Dami. “You're world class baby,” says Dannii, “I love you to pieces.”

Luke notes that that was the “biggest reaction we've ever had” to a contestant on the show then asks us for the zillionth time to vote.

PREDICTION

Dami to win by a landslide, Jai second, Taylor third.

29 comments

We must wait and see. Voting in this competition has surprised many. I don't mund who wins from here. As many others have commented in previous weeks, the winner usually fades away from memory, it's the runners-up that seem to go on with their career.

Commenter

itsmyopinion

Date and time

October 28, 2013, 11:24AM

I totally agreed. I think Jai might win this competition with favourable votes. Then, are people in general (including internationally) going to buying his future albums? It is not about winning this competition at the final. It is about their future couriers after the X Factor. So it is not a big deal for me if Dami is not going to win. She's already in the top 3. I'm happy with that.

Commenter

Gustivo

Location

Perth, WA

Date and time

October 28, 2013, 2:41PM

Get off his back. He is charming down to earth and can sing. He is far better than the other two contestants. I think the show is looking for someone who is going to go on the world stage. At the moment there too many female singers. I cant tell them apart anymore. I voted for him and I never vote in reality shows.

Commenter

Dogs

Location

Date and time

October 28, 2013, 11:26AM

You must have wool in your ears. He is gret - for a 14 year old. But this is not a junior comp. His voice is not yet mellow enough to do the slow stuff as shows by the start of the Paramoor song; and not yet strong enough to really belt it out. So it sticks him at mid level. He will have a good career provided hi voice breaks well.Taylor has always had an issue with self confidence from the get go. It has been commented on almost every week from the moment they removed his guitar. If he consistently overcomes that he will do well as a creer. Dami however blows them both away. She has more soul, more sensitivity and way, way more power than both Taylor and Jai combined. She can hold a power note way beyond either of them, as she ably demonstrated with her final song.Who will win? Who knows. It is a fickle system when it's based on votes rather than pure ability. Jai does have appeal to the teenie girls. Taylor a country town and maybe some of Geelong. Dami a chunk of Brisbane and the whole Korean community.Of the three who is most likely to succeed afterwards? Dami. Has to be. Not only does she have the power to belt out a hit tune in english she can do it in Korean as well. A gold mine in front of her.

Commenter

No cloth ears here

Location

Date and time

October 28, 2013, 3:35PM

Jai may have nothing to offer by the time he is 16 "The Year my Voice Broke" so its an excercise in futility to second guess if he has a future

Commenter

tomcat

Location

Date and time

October 28, 2013, 4:35PM

@Dogs... You're kidding right? Dami makes the other two look second rate. However we Australians don't always do the right thing and the kid will likely win for all the wrong reasons.

Commenter

Neal

Location

Cairns

Date and time

October 28, 2013, 6:11PM

Like last year, I find the all the "winner's singles" incredibly underwhelming. They all sound like they've been generated from a computer program.I'm not a fan of his, but I thought Jai's composition reprised for the final, a lot more interesting.

Commenter

gobsmack

Location

Date and time

October 28, 2013, 11:35AM

I liked it when they all had to sing the same single. That really gave a good comparison of ability.

Commenter

Compare the pair (or three)

Location

Date and time

October 28, 2013, 3:38PM

Unfortunately, the performances are not what dictates the winner of this reality series. Dami is by far a shoe-in to win and in fact one of the boys will most likely take the title. Remember that you have tens of thousands of squealing young females watching the show who will vote for the one they love the most, despite their performances.

Commenter

Matt

Location

Sydney

Date and time

October 28, 2013, 11:36AM

Why such a load of make up on Dami? It's horrible.She looks like a plastic doll.